Always a family
by JPalmerGirl
Summary: What if when Harper Dearing's bomb went off, Jimmy was in Autopsy? What if he'd decided to take a later flight to Miami so he could tie up a few louse ends? What if he was badly injured? This is how Jimmy learned to have courage and to find faith in himself again. Amputee!Jimmy (Extreme Prejudice)
1. Chapter 1

When the explosion hit, Jimmy had been in Autopsy. It was stupid really, Dr. Mallard and Breena had gone ahead to Miami while he'd stayed behind to tie up a few louse ends. He shouldn't have been in NCIS, not while there was a bomb and he definitely shouldn't have been in Autopsy. But that was where he was. It seemed to happen so slowly, the light fixtures above him exploded beforehand and threw glass shards everywhere. His glasses were ripped from his face with the sheer force of the explosion and he somersaulted limply backwards, just as one of the heavy, metal Autopsy tables came flying towards him. The rest of the moments afterwards were kind of blurry but he remembered the pain and God...he remembered the blood. It was everywhere, there was so much of it. Then he'd looked at his right arm, or where it would've been. What was there was a bloody, mangled mess, it wasn't even an arm anymore. But surprisingly, it didn't hurt, nothing hurt. He was absolutely numb as he looked at his destroyed arm and he thought of Breena. Did she know already, about the bombing? Did anyone know? Was anyone coming for him? Then a more terrifying thought crossed his mind. Was he going to die alone on the floor of Autopsy? Jimmy would've hyperventilated if it hadn't been for a voice inside his head.

'_You have to stop the bleeding.'_

Jimmy obediently nodded and tried to staunch the never ending flow of crimson blood with his jacket. The voice sounded just like Dr. Mallard did when he was lecturing Jimmy about something. It was calm and soothing, the only thing he had to clutch onto as everything around him blurred beyond recognition. Soon enough his mouth began to taste as coppery and rusty as the blood that seemed to be spreading across the white tiles that were covered in glass shards. There was a heavy buzzing in his head and it was like there was cotton shoved up both his ears. Everything felt sluggish and slow as he mind tried to comprehend what was happening. The doctor in Jimmy told him that he was going into shock, but there was nothing that he could do about it. Just look at his arm for Pete's sake! He found himself praying that nothing had happened to the others, nothing as bad as what was happening to him. Was something bad happening? He couldn't remember...

'_Don't fall asleep, Jimmy_.'

Now that sounded like Dr. Mallard. But Dr. Mallard was in Miami with Breena. Jimmy tried to remember where he was through his hazy mind, then he looked at his right arm again. The next moment found him turned the other way, vomit spewing from his pale and shaking lips, it burned sour and acidic over his tongue and he wanted to cry as he laid back and stared at the ceiling. Then a feeling of relief spread through his body as he heard voices outside of Autopsy, the automatic doors were jammed. But there were voices.

"Is anyone in there?! Hello! Is anyone in there!"

Jimmy opened his mouth to respond, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a scream that hurt his ears. It was shrill and full of pain, no not just pain...that was agony. But he didn't hurt, so why was he screaming? He didn't need to scream. That was when the voices kind of faded away as the ceiling above him blurred. He began to feel as though he was floating on the tips of his toes like a ballerina. Did male ballerinas dance on their toes? He had no idea. But he wanted his mother and his brother, he wanted the team to be alright. Where was he again? Oh, Autopsy. Dr. Mallard had told him such great stories in there, stories about things he'd seen, Jimmy had always loved to listen to the older man talk, his voice was so calm and rhythmic that it always soothed the young man. He could've used some soothing then. He could've used a lot of things. Then there were hands on him, touching, gently smoothing his hair back as they tried to speak to him. Jimmy blinked his eyes open, only to be completely swarmed with blurry faces that he didn't recognize. The only thing he registered was the fact that his arm had begun to HURT.

"He's losing too much blood! Get him out of here! Move the table!"

Then a few of them removed the heavy table from his managed right arm. He heard a scream that made his ear drums want to bleed. He only realized later that it had come from him. The hands were on him again, rolling him onto something hard. One of them shoved something soft under his head, maybe a jacket or a towel, he wasn't sure. It didn't cushion his head near enough, but he didn't complain. Then they were talking to him again, he caught his reflection in one of their sunglasses, he looked unbelievably pale, the only color on his face were his stark green eyes and even those were fading.

"I need you to stay with me, son. Tell me your name."

"We're losing him! We need to make a tourniquet!"

"Jimmy...I want Dr. Mallard ..."

His numb lips whispered, hoarsely. His face felt strangely warm and his body was extremely cold, he was shivering as their cold hands touched his skin. He felt them lay something across his chest, something heavy. But he had no idea what it was. Then they were lifting him up and they were moving. His head was swimming and everything was fading in and out. But they kept talking to him, prodding him every few moments to make sure that he was still with them. The same person with the sunglasses, kept smoothing back Jimmy's sweaty curls and talking to him in a soothing fashion.

"We'll get him for you, kid. We'll get him. Just stay awake for us."

"He's going into shock!"

Another worker bellowed, drowning out any calming words that the sunglasses wearing man was trying to say. Then there were hands on his chest, beating down on him. They were trying to preform CPR on him, the doctor in his mind provided. He was dying. That was when he heard a scream, people were yelling his name from different directions and Jimmy had no idea where to look. But he dimly registered that he knew the voices that were calling to him. Then there was Abby's face, she was crying. She was tugging at his shirt, tears running down her face, a silver haired man was holding her back, Gibbs. He caught a flash of something in the older man's eyes, it was concern and worry. But as soon as he saw it, they were gone and the sunglasses wearing man was shoving a mask onto his face and pulling the elastic band behind his head. Gibbs' last words to him, just kept playing over and over in his mind, he was unable to process them however.

"Get the paddles, he's slipping!"

"Jimmy!"

Jimmy's back arched as the electric currents ran through his body, his blank eyes stared up at the ceiling of the ambulance. He thought of Dr. Mallard and his fiancé, of Tony, Ziva and McGee, of Vance, Gibbs and Abby...of his mother and his older brother. He thought of his father, dead almost twelve years. He thought of all the living that he couldn't leave behind. He couldn't join his father, not yet. Not when he wasn't finished. It was like leaving a painting half-done. He couldn't do that. Not to them. Just as they struck the paddles against his chest one more time. Gibbs' last words to him became as clear as day as the world faded to black.

"...you aren't allowed to die, Palmer"

He wasn't one to deny a direct order.

-(Dr. Mallard and Breena)-

Breena Slater held her phone in shaking fingers as she sat by Dr. Mallard's bedside. She'd just gotten the call, her fiancé, the man she loved was in critical condition, traumatic amputation, they said. Gibbs, Abby, Tony and Ziva were alright, McGee was having stitches put in his side, but he was alright. But Jimmy...oh God...her Jimmy. Then Dr. Mallard had a heart attack on the beach and she had to stay with him, Jimmy would never forgive her if she didn't. _'Oh, I'm fine Bre. No need to rush down here, I'm totally fine. You should've stayed with the doctor.' _Oh, Jimmy. A few tears slid unheeded down her cheeks and she gave a small whimper to accompany them.

"Breena? Are you alright?"

A thin, hoarse voice greeted her and the young blond girl looked up to see the good doctor Mallard staring at her in concern. She nodded and forced a smile into her face as she clutched at his hand, gently. But the doctor didn't believe her for a moment and shook his head as he stared into her watery blue eyes. Then realization dawned on him and he would've clutched at his chest again.

"Are they alright? Is Jimmy?"

"They're all fine, McGee needs stitches in his side but he should be fine."

Breena whispered and the doctor nodded, but still shook his head slightly. He knew that he wasn't telling him something, out of fear of how he would react, he was still ill after all. Then when he finally picked up upon the look in her eyes, he knew that it was for the worst, something had happened to Jimmy, he just knew it. Why else would she be crying? Unless...oh God no...

"Breena..."

"He's in critical condition. Traumatic amputation of the right arm, two inches below the shoulder. We might lose him, Doctor. We might lose our Jimmy."

Horror dawned in the good doctor's eyes and he felt a pain in his chest that wasn't from his heart attack as he looked at the fiancé of his assistant, of the man he viewed to be his own son. He'd never thought about what he would do if he lost Jimmy, he'd never thought it could ever happen, the young man was strong, happy and healthy. Nothing to ever make the doctor think that he could lose him. But now, when he was faced by the possibility, he had no idea what he would do without the young man, the youngest on their team by far.

"You must get back to Washington at once. You can use my name, even if you have to drive to the Navy base in Jacksonville."

"But you need me here. You've just had a heart attack Dr. Mallard."

She whispered as she stared at the doctor, who looked at her with such compassion, such gentleness. Something like a father would give to his daughter as he held her hand, trying to mask the horrible distress in his wide, blue eyes. Breena bit her lip almost comically as she looked into them.

"But they need you more."

"He'd never forgive me if I left you."

"He'll forgive."

Breena's floodgates were completely destroyed then, and she leaved forwards, despite all the wires and tangles to wrap her arms around the good doctor and cry.

-(Tony and Ziva)-

"There you guys are!"

Both Tony and Ziva were completely relieved as the doors to the elevator shaft were pulled apart and Abby's face appeared. She was smiling slightly, but not as happily as she usually did. Both Agents were covered, head-to-toe in soot and sweat, but they were both grinning happily as they stared at Abby, crawling on their hands and knees to reach her and the exit. It was Ziva who spoke first, her accented voice carrying through the rather small interior of the closed off metal elevator. But Tony voiced his own concerns a moment later, something that the both of them had been wondering for a while now.

"Abby, I've never been happier to see your gorgeous face."

"Is everyone okay?"

When Tony's question was voiced, the smile faded from Abby's face. That sent shocks of worry throughout both Tony and Ziva. But who was it?

"McGee and Gibbs are okay, McGee needs some side stitches but...Ducky had a heart attack in Miami, he's stable though and Jimmy...he...there was so much blood..he's critical."

Both Tony and Ziva gaped at her in shock as tears pooled in the young goth girl's eyes. She was shaking as all three leaned forwards to press their foreheads together. They were a family and they would get though this like a family.

Always a family.


	2. Chapter 2

Jimmy woke up several times in the hospital, but he wasn't lucid enough and the sounds hurt his ears and made his head feel weird so he fell asleep again. But the first time he really woke up was three days later, he'd woken up because there'd been an irritating beeping sound next to his right ear. His cardiac monitor. Even before he blinked open his eyes, he wondered if he'd fallen asleep on his right arm, because it felt like there were pins and needles lacing up the appendage. He tried to flex his right arm, to flex the fingers and if felt like he was for a moment, but then something in his head told him that he wasn't. So the Autopsy Assistant blinked open his eyes to check but ended up squinting in pain at the bright light that assaulted them, his poor eyes watered irritatedly and he had to close them again, but only for a moment as he turned his head to look at his right arm. Only to see a ball of bandages wrapped around a two inch stump coming from his shoulder, bandages that extended to wrap around his chest, to help keep the stump from moving. Strangely enough, his first reaction wasn't to scream or yell, it was to wonder numbly, 'Is that why my arm kind of hurts? Cause I don't have one anymore? Then how can it hurt?' Jimmy's next reaction was to close his eyes and press his lips together to prevent himself from vomiting. He instead focused on his nasal cannula, the small tube that was wrapped around his face to force clean air into his lungs. But the air was so clean that it felt like it was toasting the inside of his nose.

Even when the threat of vomiting had passed, Jimmy had to turn his head away from his bandaged stump to be able to open his wide green eyes. Only to realize with a jolt that he wasn't alone in his hospital room, Tony was slumped in a chair by his bed, the italian was asleep and snoring lightly, a half-empty cup of cold coffee beside him. Judging by the bags that surrounded the Special Agent's eyes, sleeping was something he hadn't gotten enough of for a while at least. Jimmy smiled fondly as he looked at the older man, before reaching out a hand towards him. Sadly, the IV covered hand wouldn't reach very far and Jimmy had to resort to hoarse stage whispering, it was the only thing that his neglected vocal cords would allow him. Judging by the soreness surrounding the inside of his throat, he must've been intubated at one point. The young man wondered how long he'd been out as he whispered to Tony, voice cracking part of the way through the words.

"Tony? Tony?!"

The italian's eyes shot open the moment that Jimmy's hoarse whispers reached his ears and he blinked a few times, getting his bearings before realizing that Jimmy was awake and seemed lucid. The older man quickly lunged forwards, knocking over his cold coffee in his wake. The styrofoam cup tipped into his lap and spilled on his pants, making the agent wince at the feeling of the freezing liquid and curse fluently under his breath, using some words that made Jimmy want to blush red in embarrassment. But Tony didn't care, paying no mind to the stupid cup as it tumbled to the hospital tiles below them, he just moved forwards in order to see Jimmy better and to make sure that the Autopsy Gremlin was alright.

"Jimmy! You're awake! Are you okay? Do you want more pain meds? Gibbs, Abby, Ziva, McGee and your mom and brother just stepped out for a minute, we've been taking shifts and...are you sure you're okay? Do you remember anything that happened?"

Tony babbled in worry, his warm brown eyes wide in surprise and concern as he looked at his friend. But Jimmy didn't pay any mind to his ramblings as he remembered the bombing, Oh Dear God, was everyone alright? The young man instantly tried to sit up, but cried out in pain as agony laced throughout his body, tears blossomed in his eyes but he didn't care as Tony stopped speaking instantly and moved to gently push his friend back into a prone position, for utter fear of Jimmy pulling one of his countless stitches. But the curly haired man wouldn't be silenced as he looked around in worry and terror.

"Shit, the bombing! Tony are they okay, Tony?! ! I have to help, Oh God!"

"Lay down, Palmer! They're fine! Just rest now, okay? Please?"

Jimmy finally shut up and lay down at Tony's insistence but soon realized that something was wrong, something that the older man obviously didn't want to tell him. Jimmy assumed that it was about Dr. Mallard then, Tony wouldn't have hesitated otherwise. But the good doctor was in Miami with Breena, what could have possibly happened to him there? They didn't have that bad of luck, did they? Judging from the drawn look on Tony's face, they did. When Jimmy finally burst out with a question, Tony didn't even seem to wonder or deflect, he just said it as it was.

"What's happened to Dr. Mallard?"

"...Heart attack. I'm so sorry, Gremlin."

Jimmy looked up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. Doctor Mallard had a heart attack in Miami, so far away that Jimmy was unable to be with him. ...And his arm was gone... taken away by stupid Harper Dearing. The young man wanted to cry, he wanted to curl up in a ball and sob like a baby, but he didn't. He had to be strong. He could not falter, he reminded himself of that as he slipped into the ever-welcoming realm of unconsciousness once again.

-TimeSkip-

The next time Jimmy woke up, his Mom was with him. She was stroking his hair and humming as she did and he subconsciously moved toward her comfort, he needed her and she seemed to know that. Eunice Palmer just wanted to hold and comfort her baby like she had when he was just a little kid and would scrape his knee or his arm on his bike, ever trying to keep up with his big brother and his friends. He would always come to her and hold out a scraped arm or some other booboo and ask her to fix it. She always would, she'd simply wash it, put a band-aid on it and kiss it better. Then the pain would vanish as if by magic and Jimmy would smile his toothy little grin at her, ears standing up like a lynx's, untamable curly locks going left and right as he wrapped his skinny arms around her middle and exclaimed, 'Thanks, Mom!'. Before running off to trail after Clark again. She could always fix his hurts, make him feel better, and she realized as she looked at the prone body of her youngest son, that she'd taken that power for granted. She'd always thought that she could mend his hurts, but as she stroked Jimmy's curly hair, a symphony of beeping heart monitors and other machines surrounding them, she gentle touched Jimmy's stump with a feather light touch and imagined her little child's voice.

_'Mom, I got hurt! Can you fix it, make it better?'_

"I can't, baby boy...I can't..."

Eunice Palmer whispered as heavy sobs wracked her body and she felt her older son's arms surround her, in a way she would never feel from her younger son again. How could he hug with only one arm? That thought caused more tears and soon it was only the feeling of Clark's arms, of his hug that anchored her to the world, from floating off and away from there, from the looming hospital walls that surrounded them. She just leaned into her older son's chest and tried to sap up some of his strength for herself, but she didn't realize that Clark was crying for his baby brother as well.

He was sobbing for Jimmy, just as their mother cried. This wasn't supposed to happen to Jimmy, not to his baby brother, a man who was all smiles and odd statements. Lovable and endearing as he naturally was, this wasn't a way for him to go, his brother was going to be fine, Jimmy could live without an arm and Clark would give him one of his in a heartbeat if Jimmy merely asked. He was the big brother, he should've protected him better. Jimmy was just about to get married, dammit! Why now? Had they at least caught the son of a bitch who did this?! He was going to get a strong right hook in the face, courtesy of Clark Palmer. Just as Clark was musing in his mind, he was startled from his thoughts as he noticed something odd about Jimmy's face, the young man's cheeks were flushed red and he seemed to be shivering, even under all the heavy blankets they had on him. Clark's arms instantly left his mother as he rested a hand on his little brother's forehead, he may not have been able to sense fever from a mile away, but Jimmy felt as though he was cooking inside his skull. Instantly, the older young man lunged forwards to press the red 'call' button next to Jimmy's heart monitor.

Their mother blinked at Clark in shock as nurses and doctors began to swarm the room, Abby, Gibbs, Tony and McGee entering as well, they'd wanted to give the family some time alone with Jimmy but when they saw the emergency crew entering, then they had too as well. Instantly, there were nurses changing out IV bags, yanking off the blankets, ripping Jimmy's hospital gown off to cool him down, looking at the unconscious young man in everywhere they had access too, Team Gibbs had to look away a few times as the medical staff didn't care about keeping Jimmy's decency. Jimmy's small frame was almost lost in the whirlwind of medical staff and every time one of Team Gibbs or Jimmy's family would try to get near the young man, they were shuffled out of the way or backed into a corner instead. If they had been able to get near the prone young man, they would've been horrified to find out that you didn't have to be awake to cry. Finally, one of the more grandmotherly nurses seemed to take pity upon Jimmy's family including Team Gibbs and motioned for them to come to her, before speaking after looking at one of Jimmy's charts.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Palmer seems to have developed an infection in his residual limb. Luckily it's mild enough to be treatable with antibiotics. Unfortunately it has resulted in severe pain and a high fever and he has to be moved to different room, currently we're in surgery recovery, we need to be in ICU. We can observe him better there, you can come with him if you'd like."

Both families of Jimmy Palmer nodded as if it had been a question and all of them had to jog to follow his bed, the doctors were pushing it so fast. McGee was shocked to see that Jimmy's eyes were wide open, but glazed over with fever and sickness, he was looking at all of them as tears slid down his cheeks. The youngest agent was shocked, he'd never seen Jimmy cry and the younger man didn't seem to realize, that was exactly what he was doing. Then McGee looked at the stricken faces around him, Gibbs was as strong-faced and stoic as usual, Abby was crying and her makeup was smearing across her face, Ziva looked shocked as if she couldn't believe what was happening, Tony looked as if he was in pain as he clung to the side of Jimmy's bed, McGee realized with a jolt that he was thinking of Kate. He didn't want to lose another friend, like he lost her. While Jimmy's Mom looked lost and fragile as she leaned into Clark, Jimmy's older brother, who looked like Tony, like he was in physical pain. McGee's attention was instantly drawn away from Jimmy's brother when he heard a small choked whimper. Jimmy was looking upwards, not looking at anyone as he whispered, voice cracking with disuse and heavy with fever-delirium.

"Please...don't...leave me. Dad..."

Jimmy's Mom cried out at the second statement and began to cry, Clark holding her as she did so, while Abby maneuvered her way over to comfort the distressed older woman as well. Everyone else in the Team, being Gibbs, Tony and himself, nodded at the first statement. They would never leave Jimmy, no matter what, never. Especially not when he needed them and when Breena and Ducky were still in Miami. Jimmy was part of their family and they weren't going to lose him. McGee was spurned from his thoughts when they reached a pair of doors called, 'ICU' and they had to release the bed as it zoomed through the doors, the youngest NCIS agent would never forget the look of sheer terror on Jimmy's delirious face as they left him. It was the most guilt that McGee had ever felt in his life.

-TimeSkip-

Jimmy's families have to press a call button on the door and state their names before they can enter the ICU and they have to scour their hands with soap before they are allowed to enter Jimmy's new room. They were horrified as they saw the young man, he looked more worse off than he was before, he was hooked up to an even bigger orchestra of machines and a bulky oxygen mask instead of a nasal cannula. There were so many tubes coming off of him, that he honestly resembled a high school science experiment. Jimmy's eyes were partially opened at half-mast but they all knew that he wasn't really awake. Instantly they broke off into groups, Ziva and Abby went off with Clark and Jimmy's Mom to the cafeteria or to get coffee, leaving Tony, McGee and Gibbs with Jimmy. Just as the cafeteria group left, a nurse bustled in to take Jimmy's vitals. Tony cleared his throat softly as he whispered, to not disturb Jimmy's fitful fever-sleep.

"How's he doing?"

"As well as can be expected, his body's reacting well to the antibiotics but he's still weak and his body's still compromised from the surgery and infection could send him into organ failure if we aren't careful."

"...Can we touch him?"

Tony whimpered as he looked at the young man who looked so much like a child that he could barely stand it. Jimmy looked so fragile, so small and breakable that Tony was terrified to even touch him. What if he shattered under the lightest touch? McGee seemed to be thinking along the same lines, while Gibbs just took up a sentry position beside the door. The nurse working upon their friend gave a smile at Tony's statement before speaking.

"Of course you can, in fact I think he would benefit from the comfort." When none of the agents moved, she added softly. "One of you could get up there with him if you want, it wouldn't be in the way."

Gibbs' eyes flicked over his agents before nodded to Tony, the young Italian hurried to Jimmy's side and flipped down the railing on hospital bed before he lost his nerve, and slowly scooted over to wrap his arm around Jimmy's middle and pull the shaking boy toward him. There was nothing sexual or romantic about the gesture, Tony saw Jimmy like a baby brother of sorts and it hurt to think that his little brother was hurting and might die. He had so much that he still needed to do, still needed to see. But he wasn't doing much of that now as he shivered in the throes of a fever. McGee slowly moved over to join them on Jimmy's other side, making sure to avoid his stump as he gently moved his hands through Jimmy's sweat plastered locks. The fever glazed eyes looked at both of them as Jimmy spoke in a hoarse wheeze.

"Mom?"

"No, it's Tony and McGee. Do you want us to get your Mom?"

"No, 's okay...I like you guys too."

Tony's heart clenched at the pitiful sounding voice and he pushed down the tears that blossomed in his eyes. He was an NCIS agent, he didn't cry, this wasn't like Kate, he wasn't going to lose Jimmy like he lost Kate...but what if he did? The thought could've made him bawl like a baby. Then he had to bite to stop the flow of tears as Jimmy spoke again.

"Hurts..."

"I know..I'm so sorry Jimmy...go to sleep now, you'll feel better when you wake up."

Now, that was a blatant lie that McGee had just spewed, but he felt the need to say something to comfort the sick boy and it was only thing that he could think of. Both men settled in for the night beside Jimmy. Tomorrow they would be hunting down Harper Dearing, but tonight, they were with their little brother.


End file.
